The Woman Suffrage Movement
By the second decade of the 20th century, woman suffrage–women’s right to vote–had become an issue of national importance in America. To win public support for their cause, two rival women’s organizations conducted a massive campaign of lobbying, picketing, petitions and nonviolent demonstrations. The growth in the numbers of American working women and the valuable contributions women made in war production during World War I further increased the suffragists’ support. On August 20, 1919, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote.

In this image, German actress Hedwig Reicher wears a costume of ‘Columbia’ with other suffrage pageant participants in front of the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. on March 3, 1913.

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